She smiled at me. “It’s nice to find a little bit of that bravery again. I’d forgotten I had it.”
“We all forget sometimes. It helps to have people who remind us.”
“You’re that for Caden. You always have been.”
My heart clenched in a squeeze that straddled the line between pleasure and pain. “It’s an honor.”
Jocelyn glanced over her shoulder. “I’d better let you get back to him. He’s got that worried look on his face.”
I laughed. “Okay. Maybe we could get lunch one day this week. Just the two of us.”
“I’d love that.”
“Me, too.”
I left Jocelyn on the balcony and headed in Caden’s direction.
He met me halfway. “Is everything okay?”
“Your mom is pretty amazing.”
He lifted a brow in question.
“She’s stronger than you think.”
Caden glanced over my shoulder at his mother, who was now talking to another woman. “It’s good to hear that.”
“Caden,” a man I didn’t recognize called out.
We were pulled into conversation after conversation until my bladder protested. I squeezed Caden’s arm. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll go with you.”
I shook my head. “Clint’s right there.” I gestured to the man in the corner. “He’ll keep an eye on me.”
“Okay.” He pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Don’t stay away too long.”
I grinned and headed toward the hallway. Clint fell into step behind me. “Where are we headed?”
“I’m going to the little girls’ room. I don’t think you’re allowed.”
He chuckled. “I’ll just wait in the hallway.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
The first bathroom I came to was packed, so we walked farther down the hall until I found a blissfully empty one. Stepping inside, my ears rang from the silence after a good hour of loud conversation.
I quickly did my business and washed my hands. Taking a deep breath, I braced for more mingling.
As I stepped out into the hallway, I frowned. Clint wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I started in the direction of the gala, my head swiveling.
I heard a groan, and my steps faltered. A hand grabbed my hair and pulled hard, yanking me backward. I tried to scream, but it was too late.
39
CADEN
Nash strodeover and handed me a beer as I said goodbye to Clive. “Looks like everything is going pretty damn smoothly.”
